Cotton cleaner and boll crusher



May 15,r i923.

C. R. WOOIID COTTON CLEANER AND BOLL CUSHER ATTORNEY May 15, 19,23. 1,455,765

C. R. WOOD COTTON CLEANER AND BOLL CRUSHER Filed April 6, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @Nor nu,

Patented ay l5, 1923.

CHARLES ZVROBERT WOOD, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T MOSS .AND ONE-FOURTH TO B. C. GOODRICH, BOTH OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

COTTON CLEANER AND BOLL CRUSHER.

Application led April 6, 1921.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be `it known that I, CHARLES ROBERT =WooD. a citizen of the United States of ,iXmerica, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby .and State of Tennessee, have in- .vented 4certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton'Cleaners and Boll Crushers, of

Vwhichthe following is a specification.

' This invention relates to cotton cleaners 4andit consists inthe Anovel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a cotton cleaner of simple and durable structure adapted to be applied to the intake pipe ofV a pneumatic cotton conveyer system and which serves to break the twigs, leaves and hulls without too nely dividingthem and whicheffects lultimate loosening and separation of the said broken material together `with a good kdeal of the sand and grit, stone,

metal andfother foreignmatter from the .,cotton, so that during the ginning operation .these foreign substances broken hulls, leaves and .other trash will be eliminated from the ginned cotton.

A further object of the invention is to pro- Evide in a cotton cleaner of the character stated means for partially compressing the rbells ofcotton, causing their hulls to open as'V nature has provided, so that the strands of the cotton fibre are hunched together and `are not broken or injured during the cleaning and separation as stated, but subjected to successive rolling and crushing actions during their advancement within the cleaner without breaking the hulls and other material into minute particles, and therefore :preventing the cotton passing to the gin be- 'ing illed with line matter that cannot be readily separated therefrom and which lowers the value of the ginned cotton.

,With these and other objects in view, as will 'appear as the description of the apparatus Y progresses, the cleaner comprises a casing which is connected with the horizontal run of the cotton intake pipe of the cotton conveying system.

The, casing is provided at its lower por- .tion with ahopper adapted to receive the trash. The casing is provided at one side "with aduct through which the current of air Aand the uncleaned cotton are introduced into the Casingillhe YSaid duct is lwted between aprs and 'ler/,er ends of the. Casina Serial No. 459,034.

The casing is provided at its top and at that side opposite the side at which the firstmentioned duct is located with a second duct through which the partly cleaned and crushed cotton passes out of the casing.

A. screen or foraminous drum is journaled for rotation in the casing and is disposed between the said ducts and above the hopper, A hood is mounted upon the top of the casing and communicates with the same. A breaker is journaled for rotation in the hood on an axis parallel with the axis of the drum and the breaker is provided at its periphery with a series of ridges with intervening furrows and outstanding pins are mounted upon the peaks of the ridges to loosen the cotton on the screen and to assist the suction draft in removing the cotton from the screen.

In the accompanying drawings 2- Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of the cotton cleaner.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same cut on the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the cotton cleaner;

Figure a is an enlarged sectional view of the breaker of the cotton cleaner.

As illustrated in the acompanying drawing the intake pipe of the seed cotton pneumatic conveying system is shown at l and the said pipe communicates at its upper end with a horizontal run 2 in a usual manner and the said run communicates with a depressed by-pass pipe 3. A valve mechanism 4 is connected with the outlet end of the bypass pipe 3, for delivery of the cotton to a feed hopper fl shown in association with a conveyor' 4L" to receive overflow cotton from the hopper, which valve and its associated elements are the subject-matter of an application filed May 13, 1919, Serial No. 296,851, and are fully described and claimed therein.

The valve 4: comprises a cylinder disposed in the suction line and mounted to oscillate to alternately establish and cut off the suction draft therethrough, and at each oscillation cutting off the suction, to deposit the cotton collected on a screen therein. The dischargey of the cotton being through the same opening that receives the cotton when the suction is established by the return oscillation [The ,cotton cleaner sompri'scs a direte which is located above and upon the bypass pipe 3. One end of the duct normally communicates with the interior of CFL the horizontal run 2 of the pipe 1 and the intake end ot the by-pass pipe 3 is nornially closed by a valve 6 which is hingedly mounted at the lower edge of the duct 5 and at the intake end thereof and which may be swung from a position over the adjacent end ot the by-pass pipe to a closed position over the intake end ot the duct. The other end of the duct 5 is curved upwardly from the by-pass pipe 3 and communicates with the interior of a casing 7 through the side thereof. The top wall of the upwardly disposed portion of the duct 5 describes a compound curve as at 8 and the said curved upper wall is provided with l a door 9 which normally remains in a closed position over its door opening in the wall. A hopper depends from the bottom or lower portion or the casing 7 and end portions of the hopper are disposed at the oppositey sides of the by-pass pipe 3 and their lower endsare closed -by slidable panels 11 which may be removed from the hopper when it is being emptied of its contents.

A duct 12 communicates with the interior of the casing 7 at the top thereof and at the side thereof opposite that side at which the duct 5 connects with the casing. From the casing 7 the duct 12 is downwardly curved and communicates with the interior of the by-pass pipe 3 through the top side thereof and at a point adjacent the valve mechanism 4.

A screen drum 13 is journaled for rotation in the casing 7 and is disposed transversely across the inner ends of the ducts 5 and 12 and above the upper ends of the hopper 10. The curved wall 8 of the duct 5 gradually approaches the periphery of the drum 13 from the lower end of the said curved wall toward its upper end and the upper edges of theI ducts 5 and 12 are spaced trom the upper portion of the periphery of the drum.v A flexible strip 14 'bridges the Space between the lower edge of the duct- 5 and the periphery of the drum and a leXible strip 15 bridges the space between thellower edge oli the duct 12 and the periphery of the drum, As the said drum rotates these strips flex or bendin the direction oii rotation ot the drum and serve to .assist in removing material 'from the periphery of the drum and prevent the air draft from lifting trash out of the hopper and between the lower edges ot the ducts and the periphery of the drum.

A cylinder hood 16 is inountedupon the top of the casing- 7 and the interior of the hood communicates with the interior of the casing as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. A breaker 17 is journaled for rotation in the hood upon an axis which is parallel with the aXis of the drum 13. The

' inent is transmitted through theintermeshing gear wheels to the 'drum whereby the breaker 4rotates at a relatively astrate of peripheral speed and the drum rotates at a relatively slow rate of peripheral speed and vthe breaker and drumk rotate in opposite directions.

The lower part o the breaker during the rotation thereof moves from the end of the duct 5 toward the inner end of the duct 12 and the upper portion of the drum moves from the end of the duct 5 toward the inner endof the duct 12.

periphery with 'a series ot ridges 21 with furrows intervening between them. Each ridge is provided with one side or 'face 22` which lies in a plane disposed upon the radius oi: the breaker, and at itsopposite side with a face 23 which lies in a plane disposed upon a tangent to an are or circley struck `from the axis of the breaker. RadiH ally disposed and spaced pins 24 are mounted upon the peaks of the ridges. yThe faces or surfaces 23 are disposed upon those sides of the ridges which lie in the direction of the rotation of the breaker.-

In operation the seed cotton isdrawn by i the suction draft through thef pipe 1 -'and ducts 5 and 12. As the cotton ap'iroachfes the screen drum it is slightly compressed or compacted by the wall 8 ot the duct Wvhen the cotton comes in Contact with the upper portion of the. drum some of the dust and loose trash passes through the vopenings in the poiipheryo'l` the vdrum and falls into the hopper 10. As the cotton passes over the, top ot the drum it is encountered by the ridges ol the breaker whereby the cotton is slightly compressed and the twigs andbolls are broken and the cotton ispassed in the torm of a loose 'stream or mat toward and into the receivingend of the duct 12; l`At the same time the pins 23v encounterthe cotton and subject the same to Va combing action and they also serve to assist -in passingthe cotton over the drum from one duct to the other.

lVhile pins have been used 'for kicking and tearing cotto-n upon revolving elements y it will ybe observed that they have noy such function in the present invention, but are merely for the purpose of lifting the compacted cotton from the. screen toloosentit so that it will pass freely with the suction draft of and away from the SCrn drum.

Therefore the cotton will not adhere to the drum and be carried by the same and cause choking.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. Cotton cleaning apparatus comprising a casing, an inlet duct communicating with the casing at one side thereof, an outlet duct cou'lmunicating with the casing at the opposite side and at the top thereof, a screen drum journaled in the casing, a hood mounted upon the casingand a breaker member journaled for rotation in the hood.

2. Cotton cleaning apparatus ,comprising a casing, an inlet duct communicating` with the casing at one side thereof, an outlet duct communicating` with the casing at the opposite side and at the top thereof, a hopper located below the casing and communicating therewith, a screen drum journaled in the casing, a hood mounted upon the casing and a breaker member journaled for rotation in the hood.

3. Cotton cleaning` apparatus comprising a casing having inlet and outlet ducts, a screen drum journaled for rotation in the casing, a hood mounted upon the casing.; and a rolling breaker member journaled for rotation in the hood, said breaker member rotating oppositely to the drum, having upon its periphery a series of ridges with intervening furrows and outstanding pins mounted upon the peaks of the ridges to loosen the,cotton from the screen as it is rolled and crushed.

4. In a cotton cleaner a" screen drum, means for directing a blast of air transversely through the drum, a breaker journaled above the drum, means for rotating the drum and breaker simultaneously and at different rates of speed and in opposite directions one to the other, the breaker beprovided upon its periphery with a series of ridges and intervening furrows and outstanding pins mounted upon the peaks of the ridges.

5. In a cotton cleaner, a breaker journaled for rotation and having upon its periphery a series of ridges each presenting an unbroken crushing edge or peak and having outstanding pins mounted upon the peakl of the ridges, whereby the cotton is rolled by the crushing ridge and the rolled cotton loosened up by the pin as it comes from un der the rolling ridges.

G. In a cotton cleaner, a breaker journaled for rotation and having upon its periphery a series of crushing ridges each presenting` an unbroken edge and having an inclined wail and a radial wall terminating in said edge, the inclined wall being on the side in the direction of movement, and outstanding pins mounted upon the peaks of the ridges, whereby the cotton is pressed down by a rolling contact of the inclined wall of the ridges and the rolled cotton loosened as each ridge passes thereover.

7. A cotton cleaner apparatus comprising a pneumatic conveyor duct, a casing forming an inlet element thereof, a screen drum iournaled in the casing and rotating to ad- Vance the cotton the-rein, and a breaker roll arranged in close proximity to said drum and adapted to rotate opposite to the direction of rotation of the drum and carrying upon its periphery breaker faces arranged transversely to the path of the cotton in oblique relation thereto and extending upwardly and forwardly in the direction of their movement within the path of the cotton, whereby the bolls and hulls are opened up by successive crushings and rollings between the breaker surfaces and the drum.

8. A cotton cleaner apparatus comprising a pneumatic co-nveyer duct, a cas-ing forming an inlet element thereof, said ridges having each an unbroken crushing edge and a screen drum journaled in the casing and rotating to advance the cotton therein, and a breaker roll arranged in close proximity to said drum and adapted to rotate opposite to the direction of rotation of the drum and carrying upon its periphery breaker ridges having each a rearwardly facing radial wall and a forwardly facing wall, said latter wall being inclined forwardly and inwardly from the rradial Wall whereby to form pockets for the cotton and cause the cotton bolls and hulls to be subjected to the successive rolling and crushing actions of the inclined walls of the breaker roll.

9. In a cotton cleaner, a breaker journaled for rotation and provided upon its periphery with a series of ridges with intervening furrows, said ridges having each an unbroken crushing edge and the opposite side walls of the ridges disf'erging from each screen drum journaled in the casing and forming at the inlet duct a converging space between the surface of the drum and the casing wall, a hood mounted upon the casing, and a breaker member journaled for rotation in the hood.

In testimonv whereof I afliX my signature.

CHARLES ROBERT WOOD. 

